Blog

January 26, 2016

The School of Programmatic Opens its Doors for Session One: Core Concepts

Els De Witte, Marketing Director EMEA, OpenX

Programmatic technology has transformed the digital landscape so quickly that the industry is still struggling to catch its breath. While there is little doubt about the efficiency and scale programmatic brings to digital advertising, confusion abounds about what it is and how it can be used. To fill these knowledge gaps OpenX created ‘The School of Programmatic’ — an educational programme that will explain the technology, address key challenges, and help media professionals to master best practices. Speakers include senior executives from high profile publishers including eBay, Gumtree, Future Publishing, Somo and Zoopla.

“The phenomenal growth in programmatic advertising has created a number of knowledge black spots throughout the industry,” commented Andrew Buckman, Managing Director EMEA, OpenX, who spearheads the programme. “We hope anyone working in the field of programmatic advertising, from both the supply and demand sides, will benefit from a deeper understanding of this cutting-edge technology that our new School of Programmatic will provide.”

The school opened its doors on the 19th of January with a session that was intended to give anyone working in the programmatic industry a comprehensive and practical overview of the basics. Starting at the very beginning, The Core Concepts of Programmatic offered a tour of the programmatic world at a gentle pace:

The birth of programmatic Where did programmatic come from and what makes it revolutionary? The session kicked off with the big question and charted the progression of advertising, from dealing directly with publishers and buying ad space for generic audiences, to the present day – where automation ensures the most relevant ad reaches the right consumer, at the ideal time.

Building a common Language: the ABCsThe complexity of programmatic is one of the most significant barriers to adoption, as is the language used to describe its processes and technologies. To remove those barriers the session provided an overview of programmatic terms, giving simple explanations of everything from Impression-Based Buying to Real-Time Optimisation.

Exploring the marketplace: Ad Networks, Exchanges, Programmatic Direct Describing a real-time bid is one thing, understanding how it works is another. The second stage of the introduction revealed the inner-workings of programmatic trading, covering everything from how auctions create instant deals to what the key players do, including Ad Exchanges, Networks, Supply-side Platforms (SSPs) and Data Providers.

Understanding the differences between buying and selling modelsThere are a multitude of methods for buying and selling programmatic inventory, so which options are most effective, and for whom? The session highlighted the difference between open exchange buys and purchasing at an unreserved fixed rate, as well as the unique benefits these models bring for both advertisers and publishers.

For those who were unable to attend, an eBook on The Core Concepts of Programmatic, soon to be available to download from our website.

The second session of School of Programmatic, due to take place on the 16th February, is entitled Programmatic On the Go. Attendees will learn how to plan the ultimate cross-screen campaign, unique considerations for buying on mobile, and which mobile ad formats are the most engaging. The session will be held at the Hospital Club, Covent Garden from 8.30am to 11am.

For more information on future sessions and to register for a place please click here.